Second Chance
by Jo Yonder
Summary: Regina wakes up atop of a hill with no memory of who she was or where she came from. Setting out on a journey to regain her memories, she soon learns of who she really was and why her memories were taken away.
1. Chapter 1- Now

**Now**

First there is nothing. Blackness. Emptiness. The feeling that life is being sucked from my body.

Then, there is everything. Blinding light, wet grass soaking through the clothes on my chest, a faint breeze raising goose bumps on my arms, the sound of twigs and leaves rustling against each other, and the chill of cold stone underneath my right hand.

My eyelids flutter open to a vast grassy field, bordered by a dense forest that reaches far out to the horizon. They dart to the stone my hand is resting on, a tomb. A tomb made of smooth stone, sloping up on two opposite sides to where they meet in a line at the top, creating a pointed arch on the adjacent sides.

My hand quivers slightly before withdrawing its touch. I gaze around at the empty landscape, taking in the scenery. I'm atop a big, lush, green, sloping hill, under a large tree with gnarled branches that dip down where they are millimeters from touching the ground. I watch as a dying leaf clinging on to the end of a twig, trembles before swiftly falling down, twirling and swaying, before gently landing on my shoulder. I stare at it for a moment and lift my hand to brush it off, only for the wind swell and sweep it off tumbling away. In the distance, I can see a small abandoned wooden stable, showing signs of time long gone by, with planks fallen back and rafters poking out from a crumbling roof.

I gaze down at it and before I know it, my feet are flying down the hill, carrying me to the stable. Up close, it's visible that it is void of all signs of life, minus a small rat that scurries past my feet and into a hole in the corner. A large hole in the ceiling lets in a large beam of light illuminating a row of empty horse stables.

I look around, feeling an unnerving void within myself. The void that should be filled with memories. Memories that define who I am. I rack my brain, trying to remember something. Anything. It's that odd moment when you feel that something is supposed to be there, but there isn't. The odd moment that leaves your arms tingling and your chest tight, as if someone were trying to squeeze the life out of you.

I don't know how long I stand at the entrance of the crumbling building, gazing down at the stable, intrigued by it, pondering its past and its history, when I see a large band of fifty or so figures emerge from the woods about half a mile away. I immediately step into the shelter of the stable and peer out from a crack in the wall.

_Maybe they can help, _I tell myself, feeling uneasy. I hold my ground and watch as they approach shouting something unintelligible. But as the figures get closer, I begin to make out who they actually are. Knights, in glistening silver armor wielding bows and swords, all riding magnificent steeds.

I watch as they ride on by, completely trotting pass the stable with not as much as a glance in its direction. Then a knight at the back in the back of the band turns his head and I jump back from the crack.

"Do you think we ought to check this one?" He says.

"Do you think that she'd be here? This would be the last place I'd be if I were hiding," A deep throaty voice says.

"Are you sure-"

"Queen's orders say we find her as soon as possible before she can do any more harm to this land. We're wasting time here. Let's go," the voice says firmly, followed by the thud of horse hooves galloping away. I crouch down until I'm certain they're gone and peek out the crack, confirming they're gone.

I stand up and walk back out into the field, staring at the trampled grass where the horses stood. I blink at it for a moment. Who were they? I shudder as I the absence of memories chills me to the core. I walk slowly to the place where they emerged t the edge of the woods and peer in as far as my eyes can see.

Trees. Huge thick trees shooting up to the sky topped by a bright green canopy of leaves and branches. I take one last glance back over my shoulder at the stable and tomb at the top of the hill before stepping into forest.

Before I can take the time to adjust to the change of scenery, I'm immediately startled by an arrow that whistles past my face and burrows itself into the trunk of a tree next to me.

"Don't move," I hear a voice behind me say. "That was your warning shot."

I stop in my tracks and slowly turn my head. A tall man with scruffy brown hair stands about ten feet away holding up a bow, with its arrow aimed right at me. Something in me wants to scream and dart and freak out and all that stuff you're supposed to do when you're staring death in the face. Instead I say flatly, "Excuse me?"

_Stupid. What. Ugh. Maybe I should run. Even if he shoots me I should run. Wait, who is this? Maybe I've met him before and we're friends. Wait, no, because then he wouldn't be threatening to kill me. Ugh, I can't remember anything!_

The man pulls back his bow tighter, trembling. "Don't move." He says again. I can see him shaking even more. He takes a step closer and I take a step back. "What do you have to say before I kill you?"

"Who are you?" I say, already going against my instincts to bolt, knowing it would earn me an arrow in the back.

The man takes another step closer. "I am Robin Hood. You've killed so many." His face is pained as he says these words. He takes in a deep breath, "Now it's my turn to have justice." He pulls his bow back and aims.

"Please no!" I scream, falling back onto the floor, catching myself with my arms. I crab walk backwards as he steps forward. Tears are in my eyes and my legs are jelly. I hold out my hand, pleading for him to spare me. "I haven't done anything!"

"YOU HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING?!" He roars.

"I swear I don't know what's going on! I don't know who you are! I don't even know who I am…I don't remember anything! Please, I don't know what's going on…" I cry out, the words tumbling from my mouth. "Please, I can't remember anything…"

He doesn't put his bow down and continues to point it at me, his face contorted in a mixture of anger and sadness. He stands motionless and I can see the wheels turning in his head. "It's a trick. And I'm not falling for it."

"Please, I don't know what's going on," I say desperately. It comes out as almost a whisper with gasps in between words. He stares down at me as if expecting me to jump out at him and kill him with a magical sword that appears in my hands out of nowhere.

He's definitely going to kill me now. He pulls his bow back one more time and I close my eyes. I hear him shout a battle cry and I prepare to die. But then I hear a thud in the ground next to me. Quivering, I slowly open my eyes and see the arrow protruding from the dirt next to me. I look up at the man. What did he say his name was? I've already forgotten. He looks down, eyeing me. "Do you really not know what you've done?"

"I don't even know who I am," I sputter. "My name, where I'm from…"

"Of course, of course," He says with skepticism in his eyes. He shakes his head in disbelief. "Please tell me this is a sick joke."

"It's not a joke, I-"

"Wow," He says, putting his bow down by his side. "You really don't know what's going on or who you are…." _I just told you that, idiot. _"I can't believe this."

I watch him pace the floor, keeping me in the corner of his eye. He reaches his hand to his face and rubs his brow with his fingers. I don't say anything and just stare at him like a lost creature. He looks up to the sky. "I have just met the Evil Queen and she doesn't remember anything."

"Wait a minute. I'm who?" I ask him, immediately filled with a boatload of questions. Then my brain flashes back to the soldiers back by the abandoned stables. Were they looking for…

"Someone that you shouldn't mess with," He looks down at me on the ground. "Well, I guess you used to be."

I stare at him, unsure of what to say. "Wait, what'd you say your name was?" I say as he retrieves the arrow, inspecting the tip carefully before putting it in the quiver behind his back.

"Robin Hood," he replies, offering a hand to help me up. I accept his strong grip as he pulls me off the floor. "And you're the Evil Queen."

"Evil Queen?" I say, not sure what to make of the words. "Of what?"

"Just the Evil Queen," Robin Hood says, slinging his bow over his shoulder. "I mean just look at yourself." He gestures down at my clothes.

I look down. I'm in a long red dress made of velvet with black lace along the neck and sleeves, which go up and loop over my fingers. The bottom of the gown flows down outward from my hips, in a long rippling skirt. The bottom is torn and caked with dried mud that crumbles off with each step I take.

My eyes dart to Robin Hood's clothing, which pales in comparison to my own. He wears an old dirty shirt with sleeves that hang out from underneath a green vest. He wears leather boots and gloves, with a dark green cape tied around his neck.

I'm speechless for a moment. Robin Hood watches boredly as I wash my eyes over the grand and grimy gown. So I'm a Queen. Wait, an evil one. I blink for a moment. Evil Queen. The word sounds familiar, but at the same time it doesn't.

"Okay," He says, straightening up. He opens his mouth to say something and then closes it just as quickly. I watch him ponder the thought for a moment before he nods his head once, as if he were agreeing with himself, and says, "I'm going now."

My eyes dart up toward him. "Wait what?"

"I'm going," he reiterates, tuning to walk away. He pauses and looks over his shoulder. "And pray we never meet again."

He begins to jog off into the dense forest, his leather boots nimbly stepping over roots protruding from the damp dirt, speckled with the occasional blooming weed and dying shrub.

"Hey, wait!" I call out to him, hearing how shrill my voice is. "What about me? You can't just leave me here!"

He doesn't turn around. What was his name, again? Robin Hood. Robin Hood doesn't turn around or stop and continues to run until he disappears among the pillars of trees. I consider running after him, but then what would I say to him? What would I do?

I slowly walk in the direction he went and stop at a tree, leaning my arm against the rough bark, gazing at the path his feet had taken. I shift my weight between my legs every couple of seconds and glance around anxiously, waiting for something to happen. I imagine Robin Hood suddenly appearing in the distance, running back and apologizing. Then taking me somewhere and tell me who I am.

The Evil Queen.

The words feel strange in my head as I try to grasp what they mean. Evil. Queen. I'm not evil. In fact, I don't even know who I am. Am I a queen? I look down at my tattered dress. Am I evil? Unfortunately, to this I have no answer.

It occurs to me that he could be lying. I consider the thought, but end up even more confused with myself. Evil. Queen. Evil. Queen. Evil. Queen.

I stand still, listening to nothing but the sound of my breathing and birds passing overhead for a long time before my instincts take over. Taking a deep breath, I turn in the direction that Robin Hood ran off and begin to walk, my feet first trudging and dragging along the ground, and then slowly speeding up faster and faster. And before I know it, I'm running and then sprinting off further into the woods, calling out to him.

It's not long before I realize that I'm completely lost. I've already forgotten which way I came from and I have no idea where Robin Hood went. I realize my chances of every meeting him again are small, considering how big this forest is.

I ask myself why I'm even looking for him, but my thoughts are interrupted when I see a clearing in the trees ahead. A road. A long dirt road, stretching to the left for as far as I can see and stretching right for about a quarter of a mile before veering off into the forest. I rush up to it, my heart pounding so loudly in my chest that I can feel my feel my whole torso tremble with each beat.

I realize I'm holding my breath and let out a big burst of air from my lungs in relief. Relief that I know that this path leads somewhere. Maybe I don't need to find Robin Hood anymore. I've got a start. This path is going to lead to the finish. I take a deep breath and am about to begin my journey when I hear a twig snap behind me.

I whirl around just in time to see an object flying towards my head.

Then everything does dark.

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><p><strong>What did you guys think? Tell me what your lovely (or perhaps not so lovely if you're mean) thoughts are in the reviews!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2-Now

**I greatly apologize for the long wait. Not really. Maybe. :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Now<strong>

There's a dull pressure and ringing in my ears as my senses begin to ebb back to life. My arms tingle and I can feel the softness of dirt pressing against my chest and cheek. My arms, feeling like lead, lay limply, my left arm twisted painfully under my side and my right flung out across the ground. A wave of warmth flows through my torso and I become aware of my own breathing, quick and shallow gasps. I suddenly become aware of someone shouting behind me.

"Somebody help! Help!" a voice shrieks. "It's the Evil Queen!"

There's the word again. Evil Queen. Who was that that called me that? What was his name?

"Where are Snow's men? Are they nearby?" Another deeper voice cries out. "She's here!"

I rack my brain, trying to think through the dull throbbing on the right side of my head, just above my brow.

"They were headed east towards some of the villages, but they can't have gone that far from here."

Oh, Robin Hood. That was his name.

"I know that—Hey, do you have your dagger?"

"Yes-"

"Well, what if we just… ended everything right here and now?" the deeper voice says gruffly. "It'd make this a whole lot easier."

Wait, these people also said Evil Queen. But what if they're talking about someone else…

The forest is silent for a moment. "No, Snow said she wanted her-"

"I know, I know. I was just thinking-"

"What if she wakes up and sees us?" The voice hisses back.

Are they talking about me? I think they are, but my brain feels like it's been sloshed around in a bucket and thinking straight is nearly impossible.

"You hit her in the head with a slingshot. She won't be waking up anytime soon," Comes the reply, in a low uneasy voice.

A slingshot. So that's what it was. I become aware of the pulse throbbing in my head, as if a beating heart had been placed there.

"I know, but what if she really does wake up?"

"Oh," The deeper voice replies, "we'll stand up and fight for the kingdom. We're not cowards.-She's here! We've found her! Can anyone hear us?!"

My mind soaks up this information, trying to piece everything together. I try visualize what I can't see. Two men, who I'm assuming knocked me out, are talking with each other about the Evil Queen and one wanted to kill me…

I hear the sound of metal sliding out of a sheath. My heart stops.

"What are you doing?!" I hear someone half-hiss-half-shout. "Give that back!"

I hear the crunching of leaves approach me. "I'm going to save everyone in the kingdom from more trouble. Having her alive means more people suffering. More people dying. Do you remember Stealthy?"

"That doesn't mean that we should-"

"Well, then how many more are we going to lose?" I hear the voice crack a little, then continue on steadily. "Because I'm not going to lose anymore."

"No stop!"

I hear scuffling and a few random exclamations of words that I can't quite make out. I hear something land by my side, but what that thing is, I cannot tell.

I try to move, but my arms lay paralyzed at my sides. I try to kick out my legs and roll over, but my legs are as useless as my arms. I try to open my eyes, but my eyelids remain glued shut, and all I can do is feel my own breath quicken in panicked gasps. Suddenly, I feel my heart explode in a flurry of pounding, sending a tremor of awareness and clarity through my mind and body.

Every nerve in my body lights on fire. My eyes fly open and my back arches as my mouth takes in a gaping breath of dry, dusty air. I'm momentarily blinded by the sunlight and put up my hands to block it, squinting as my eyes begin readjusting to the brightness. I hear someone let out a terrified scream and turn my head around just in time to see that someone instantly bolt off across the road, disappearing into the thicket of trees and undergrowth on the other side.

The other one stands stark still, frozen with the look of sheer and utter terror on his face. His eyes stay fixated on me and I can tell he's holding his breath.

I push myself off the ground, stumbling as my head suddenly begins to spin. I rest my hands on my thighs as I take a moment to regain my balance. The man might as well be a statue wearing faded rags and worn out leather boots because when I look back up, he's still standing there.

We stand there in silence, staring intently at each other all stiff and shaken, the both of us wondering who will be the first to take a move. I watch his fingers fidget, his eyes taking blinks every other second. He looks down at my torn clothes, then back up at my face, as if expecting me to do something. I feel the corner of my mouth twitch.

Then he looks down towards the ground. I follow his gaze to a gleaming dagger with a black hilt and a glinting blade laying by my feet. My hand slowly reaches down and grabs it, picking it up with trembling fingers. I look back up at the man, whose face has gone stark white.

"Umm…" I say, not knowing what to do. "Are you-"

I'm interrupted by his ear piercing shriek as he takes off running in the same direction his companion went. In that moment, I realize the person who knows more about what's going on than I do has just fled, ruining my chance to figure out what's happening. I immediately take off after him with the dagger still in my hand.

"Wait!" I call out, running with one hand holding up my dress. I look down and realize that I'm doing it and let go of the matted skirt. I leap over a fallen log and call out again. "Wait!"

The man, a short and stocky fellow, glances over his shoulder and yelps at the sight of me. He puts his hand to his head to keep his flapping hat from flying off. "Dopey!" He bellows. "Doc!"

He begins to trip and stumble over his own feet as he weaves in and out of the tress. He glances over his shoulder again and screams again. "Happy!"

I pump my arms harder, tilting my head in confusion as he continues to shout words similar to these. "Sneezy!"

"Stop!" I yell. "Wait!"

The little man only quickens his pace and darts ahead, letting out distressed squawks every other second. I lengthen my strides and begin to gain ground, catching up slowly.

It then occurs to me that this person won't help me, regardless of if I caught up to him. In my moment of distraction, my foot hits a fallen log that seems to have materialized out of nowhere. A strange noise comes from the back of my throat as I'm sent toppling over the log, my momentum carrying me over in a flying pinwheel.

For a moment, it seems that I'm weightless and I watch as the world flips upside down with my face inches from the ground, my feet towards the sky. Everything hangs still in a frame of time, peacefully frozen in a moment of calmness. The dagger, which has flown out of my hand, floats upside down in the air a couple feet away. My skirt ripples in slow motion as my hands wave freely in front of me. I see leaves falling through beams of light streaming down through the branches high above.

Then time speeds back up and I feel myself falling. My back slams flat against the ground, knocking the wind out of me. My legs come down next, sending a jolt of shock through my entire body.

I groan and cough as I learn to breathe again, not knowing whether to clutch my chest or my stomach. My face scrunches up and I lie on my back, listening to the crunch of the man's footsteps slowly diminish until the only sound filling the forest is the wind brushing past the leaves. By the time I open my eyes, he's already gone.

When my mind manages to somewhat pull itself together, I push myself off the ground and stand up. My eyes scan the ground for the dagger, but it has disappeared among the weeds and shrubs covering the floor. My eyes look up and glance around as they take in the scenery. Which is basically tall trees, trees, and more trees. Trees with rough barks and thick trunks, some stouter than others. Their branches bend out at various angles, each one fighting for a spot in the sunlight.

Not a single other thing is in sight. I turn around, looking for some sort of sign that I'm not lost. A person, a road, a…I realize that I don't know what to look for.

I look to my left and take a step, then hesitate and take a step in the opposite direction. I look the right at the endless mass of trees. A sick feeling grows in the bottom of my gut. My head begins to spin and a question rings in my head. I think about it and try to forget it. But it sits there, in a dark corner in the back of my mind, waiting to be answered.

When am I going to know what's going on?

I conclude that the question won't be answered until I find someone. It then takes me about two seconds to decide to head in one direction and see where I end up, when my plans are interrupted by a voice cutting through the silence.

"Well, dearie, that was a rather amusing chase to watch."

I nearly leap twenty feet into the air and whirl around to come face to face with a short man smiling madly at me. His skin is scaly and leathery with an aged brown tone, showing signs of time gone by. He wears a leather vest with cloth sleeves hanging around his arms. His brown leather boots and black pants cover his skinny legs that jump up in excitement. His fingers lightly touch each other, with spaces between his palms.

I scream and turn to run away from the madman, when suddenly the ground beneath my feet opens up in a deep whole and I fall in. The moment my feet hit the bottom, the dirt magically fills in the empty space around me, leaving me immobile from the waist down. I scream again, this time not from panic, but from the sight of the dirt having a mind of its own.

I push off the ground with my arms, but to no avail, as my legs are lodged firmly in the ground. My body freezes in terror as I watch the man step in front of me. My arms forget how to move properly and they weakly continue their futile attempts to push myself out of the earth. My eyes meet the man's eyes, two green-grey irises that sparkle wickedly.

I can only imagine what he's going to do to me. Either bury me alive or bash me to death, while I scream for help that won't come. I can't decide which one I'd prefer.

"Now there's not need to panic," the man says, bringing my attention to him. "Unless of course you'd like to sit there thrashing around."

Fear has closed up my throat and I'm unable to make a sound. Instead a high squeak escapes from the back of my throat.

He takes this as a suitable reply and nods his head. "Well, if you want me to help you I'm going to have to trust that you won't run away."

For some strange reason, this calms me enough to get my voice working again. "I-uh-"

"Good," he says quickly and waves his hand.

I blink and find myself standing on top the ground, no longer stuck in a hole, the pressure around me legs gone. I squeak, stunned.

"How'd you do that?" My stomach turns inside me. Something clicks in my head as if I've met this person. Yet, at the same time he's a complete stranger. I look up at his hideous face. "Who are you?"

He lets out a high pitched laugh and his eyes widen, seeming amused by my stupefaction. He prances a spry step towards me. "You know who I am, dearie. You've just forgotten." He laughs again and points a finger me, with his other hand by his face, the tips of his fingers curled. "Do you even know who you are?"

"N-no," I stutter, panic in my voice. "Wait, how'd you get here? I didn't see-"

He holds up a hand to stop me. "Ah-ah-ah." His voice grows as he says, "You're asking too many questions. Why not just one?" He scrunches up his face and pauses as if for effect, before leaning closer and saying, "Or unless you don't want to ask a question. Too frightened to speak?" He laughs at my bewildered face. "The real question is, how did _you _get here?"

He watches as I open and close my mouth, unable to answer the question. I remember waking up on the hill, next to a tomb. I remember hiding in the old stables as the knights rode on by. How I ended up there, however, is beyond me. I want to say this out loud, but the look on the man's face makes me want to do otherwise. He stares devilishly at me, waiting for my reply.

Half of me wants to use this as a chance to get away and save myself. The other half knows that this man knows something about me that I don't. And I need answers right now.

"I don't know," I say, watching the man as he continues to smile. "I don't know who I am-"

"Yes, yes, I know that," he says. He throws up his hands in a gesture of excitement. "Since you don't know who you are and don't recall who I am, let me introduce." He bows down, one hand in front of his chest and the other out to the side. "The name's Rumpelstiltskin."

Silently, I say his name, feeling the word roll over my tongue. It feels familiar as if I've said the name a thousand times over. I've met this Rumpelstiltskin before, I'm assuming. He knows me. I stare at him, not sure of what to do. Then, I blurt out, "Who am I?"

He laughs again. "You're the Evil Queen, of course."

Suddenly I remember Robin Hood again. How he threatened to kill me, the Evil Queen. I remember the two men running away with terrified faces. I look up at Rumpelstiltskin. He steps towards me and I take a step back, putting out my hand in defense. "Wait, someone else also told me that."

His expression looks as if what I just said were the most obvious thing in the world. "Well, I'm not surprised. There's a lot of people terrified of the Evil Queen."

I mull over the thought in my head, confused. "But I'm not evil." I realize that maybe I've forgotten I'm evil. I think about it for a moment. "Wait, am I?"

He looks at me and says flatly, his voice rising in pitch, "Well, why don't you tell me?"

I again, can only watch as he continues to grow entertained by my speechlessness." He laughs as my mouth speaks without me realizing. "Do you know who took my memories?"

"Of course, dearie. Do you miss them?" His eyes glisten with a look of satisfaction. "Do you uh—want them back?"

Does he have my memories? I'm in such shock that I don't realize that I've spoken aloud. I feel blood rush to my face.

"You seem rather…baffled. Now, let me ask, why do you want your memories?" He says.

"I need to know who I am," I say nervously, staring into his cold, grey eyes. I get the feeling that he's keeping something from me.

"Well, if you want them back," He says, quieting his voice. "Come to my mansion and I can get your memories back!" He stands up straight. "Come find me when you're ready, dearie."

"Ready for what?"

He takes a step back and jumps up again in excitement. "Why, ready to answer all of your questions. You see, right now let's let things simmer a little. Come to me after you've got a chance to learn more about this world. Yes, yes. Come when you're ready!"

"I'm ready right now," I say, realizing how much I want everything explained. I want to know why someone threatened to kill me. Actually, two people. I want to know why there were knights roaming about. I want to know why I woke up at the top of that hill. "Do you have my memories?"

"Well, since you seem to want them so badly, then it shouldn't be so bad to take a little stroll on over to my mansion, right? Right?" He says, leaning back on a leg and pointing a finger at me. "I'll expect to be seeing you soon then."

"Wait, can I have at least one question answered right now?" I say quickly. I watch as he looks back at me, considering the question. I wonder whether or not I've irritated him.

"Uhh—what is that?" He says, his voice small and flat.

My throat closes up for a second as I take in Rumpelstiltskin's full appearance as a man not to be messed with. A man who most likely always gets what he wants. It's in his eyes, his walk, how he holds himself up, and I can only imagine the things that he's capable of. I do my best to keep my voice steady. "What is my name?"

"Why, dearie," he says, opening his mouth in a wide grin, revealing yellowed teeth that only add to his mad nature. "It's Regina."

Before I can say anything else, he disappears in a cloud a black smoke. The spot where he stood, empty, as if he had never been there at all.

I stand in my spot wordless and confused as ever. I try to comprehend what I just witnessed. I try to grasp the meaning of the situation. A million questions swirl through my head, muddling my thinking. And of course there's one that I realize I should have asked: Where is his mansion?

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